


PlayHouse Blues

by xxHollowedNightmares



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Angst, Don't deny it, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mean!Rin is a sexy Rin, Mentions of dub-con, Neko!Haru, Neko!Mako, Neko!Nagisa, Neko!Rei, Nekos!, Romance, mentions of bondage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-15
Packaged: 2017-12-31 20:46:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1036188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxHollowedNightmares/pseuds/xxHollowedNightmares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is one law at Matsuoka Rin's PlayHouse: any stray neko who enters may stay, but will never leave. After being captured by clients and given to Rin, Nanase Haruka, a stray water-loving neko, becomes the newest addition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Come on kitty, kitty...meow for Daddy one more time." 

"..." 

A slap echoed throughout the bedroom. 

"I said meow you stupid cat! I paid too much money for you to be silent!" 

Haru glared at the bedpost in the Playroom, still refusing to give the man thrusting into him what he wanted. He wasn't the first client of his that was angry at him for not pleasuring them like they wanted him to, and he was certain that he wouldn't be the last. He tightened his grip on the bed sheets and let out a warning hiss when the man gave him another hard slap to his rear. One more hit and the man's blood will paint the walls of this room crimson. His captor's form of punishment be damned. His hiss seemed to satisfy the client and Haru grunted when the man tightened his grip on his hips and fucked him harder, hitting that spot inside him with every push forward. He felt his jaw begin to ache due to the pressure he was exerting to keep his mouth shut, to prevent any sounds of pleasure from escaping. Bastards like this man didn't deserve to hear them, especially since the sex wasn't consensual... When the man behind him moaned as he found his completion, he sighed in relief when he looked at the clock on the nightstand. This ordeal was over. He could finally get to have what he was waiting all day for. He waited for the man to pull out of him and growled when he flipped him over instead. The man stared at his half-hard cock in confusion as he narrowed his eyes at the sweaty man above him. 

“Your hour is up. Let go.” 

“But you didn’t come yet, kitty.” 

Haru’s tail bristled at the word. He hated being called ‘kitty’. He was a neko, _not_ a pureblood. When the man lightly released his arm, he pushed the man away before darting off of the bed and towards the door. He used his tail to open the door and he bolted down the hall of the mansion, ignoring the man's calls for him to come back. 

He ran into the room that held his sanctuary and locked the door behind him. He looked around the room and smiled when he declared it safe. He walked over to the large bathtub and used his paw to push the plug into the drain and his tail to turn on the water. Once the water reached the level he liked, he turned off the water and jumped in, splashing water onto the floor. He purred at the feel of the warm water washing him clean of that horrid client's scent. As he fully submerged himself into the tub, he allowed himself to remember how his lapse in judgment caused him to be here in this hellhole of a home.

* * *

 

 _When he was younger, he had an owner. He lived with an old widow who took him in after she found him abandoned in a cardboard box by his mother at the age of 3. She loved and treated him like her grandson, not as a pet. She also taught him how to talk and everything that he needed to know about his kind and the human world. It was with her that he developed his obsession with water and never-ending craving for mackerel. He was happy with her and their life together, until a few weeks after he turned 13. He spent a few days at the beach and returned to his home to find it empty. When a man he'd never seen before shooed him out of his house, he realized what happened. The old widow, his lovely owner, died. He tried explaining to the man, who turned out to be her son, that he was her pet, but the man didn't believe him, especially since he didn't find any papers in the house saying he was registered to his mother and he wasn't wearing a collar like the law required all registered nekos to wear at all times. When the man threatened to kick him if he didn’t leave, he fled the only place he called home, feeling abandoned once again. That was the last time he allowed himself to cry._

_Since then, Haruka walked the streets of Iwatobi alone. He didn't bother with trying to find another owner since nekos 13 years or older were rarely taken in. He was 17 and he felt it was too much effort to try and beg humans to take him in. He didn't have any friends or hunting companions because they couldn't be trusted. Strays had a code to follow after all: fight or be beaten, kill or be killed. Strays not only had to fight amongst themselves to find and steal food, but fight against the humans that wanted to catch them, sell them as sex slaves, or kill them for the fun of it. After all, there were no laws to protect unregistered nekos. To avoid any conflict with humans or other strays, Haru lived by the beach, swimming in the ocean to find his meals and sleeping under the dock when he was tired. He only went into the town when he felt like stealing mackerel from the fish market or sneak into the sports store for a new pair of jammers when the pair he wore became too worn out.  His daily regimen allowed him to survive and avoid everyone successfully...until summer started._

_Summer was the worst season for any stray because of the heat and the increase of humans being outside. Haru knew this hot and humid day in July wasn't going to be a good one when he was woken up by something pulling his tail. He opened his eyes and saw it was a little boy and girl that were playing with it, not meaning any harm. On a normal day, he didn't mind children petting him or pulling his ears or tail since he knew they were harmless, but the morning humidity and not catching anything to eat yesterday because there were too many people on the beach caused him to act differently. He hissed loudly at the boy and girl. As they ran off calling for their mother, he quickly stretched his limbs before taking off, knowing that it was going to be trouble when the children returned with their mother. He ran into a shaded alleyway, hiding behind a pile of boxes to catch his breath. He inwardly cursed when he heard a growl. He looked in the direction that it came from and sighed in annoyance. He really hated dogs. They made too much noise. Haru rolled his eyes at the threat. He sized up the dog and knew that if it came down to a fight, he could beat him, mainly because swimming made him faster and stronger than the average neko and the dog was overweight. The Doberman gave a final growl before lunging at him. He dodged the attack and lightly smirked when the dog crashed into a garbage can. Served him right..._

_"Hey, what's going on back here!"_

_Haru turned and saw a human further down the alleyway carrying a broom heading in his direction. He sighed and ran out of the alleyway and down the street, slower than he was earlier. He caught a glimpse of a tree out of the corner of his eyes and ran towards it. He latched his claws on the tree and proceeded to climb it until he found a branch that would support his weight and keep him hidden from humans and the sun's rays. He stretched out on the branch and sighed in irritation when he heard a ripping noise. He looked at his pants and frowned when he saw a hole on the back of his thigh. He ruined his favorite pair of jammers. He laid his head down on the branch and closed his eyes, ignoring the rumbling sound his stomach made. Now he had to go into town and sneak into the sports store and grab another pair...along with a piece of mackerel._

_He waited until it was dark before making his way into town. It was easier to get to what he needed when all of the stores were closed. He found a piece of mackerel waiting for him behind the grocery store. The man that worked in the meat department liked to leave him pieces and hid them in a spot only he could find after he caught him trying to sneak inside a few weeks ago. He even went out of his way to grill them for him. He found a piece of cardboard and clawed “Thank you” into it and stuck it in the hiding spot before he made his way to the store that sold his jammers. When he arrived, he noticed that the back door was closed and frowned. Normally, they left the door cracked. He used his tail to turn the knob and sighed in relief when the door opened. He opened the door wide enough for him to slip in. He never noticed the red light flashing above the door. He made his way to the aisle that held what he was looking for. He frowned when he saw that the store now carried different styles of his black and purple jammers. He picked out all of the jammers that were his size and ran to the changing room. Though it was dark, his eyes were able to adjust and he picked the pair that fit him best: black jammers with purple lines running down the sides that cut off at the knee. Even though the looked exactly like the others he wore before, this pair, along with the others, fit him differently._

_His ear twitched when he heard voices outside of the changing room. He looked at the door and saw light coming in through the bottom and frowned. Usually no one was around when he came in... His ears and tail stood straight when he heard the sound of boots against the tiled floor getting closer to him. He wished he chose the bigger changing room since he could’ve hid underneath the bench in there. He flinched and inwardly began to panic when the curtain was pulled open, revealing two adult men that he'd never seen before. He figured that they had to be the owners by how angry one of them looked._

_"Well, will ya lookie here! It was a damn neko this entire time breaking in and stealing our merchandise!"_

_He lowered himself to the ground in surrender when the other man glared at him. Though he'd rather bite one of them and try to escape from the store, he knew the odds of him succeeding were very slim, especially since the changing room wasn't being enough for him to pull off that kind of maneuver._

_"Should we turn him over to the authorities?"_

_He flattened his ears as he stared up with watery eyes at the one called Johnny, silently pleading for him to say no. Turning him in would mean he would get euthanized and he didn't want to die like that._

_"Nope."_

_Haru slightly smiled at the man, grateful that he spared his life._

_"I’d feel bad letting a cute little neko like him being killed. I got a better idea… Put him in the truck."_

_As the walked away and the other lead him towards their vehicle, he felt himself getting excited at the thought of them adopting him and not cautious like his mind told him he should be. He knew he should've taken the opportunity to run away when they exited the building, but he didn't want to and the man was close enough to catch him if he ran. He jumped onto the backseat and the man secured him before getting into the driver's seat as the other one got in the passenger seat. As they drove away from the store, he wanted to ask where they were going but decided against it since he thought it would be rude of him to do so since they spared his life._

_A few hours later, he grew bored of staring out of the window at the trees passing by. It didn't help that it was quiet entire time. He looked at both of his new owners and decided to get to know them a little better. He decided it was best to thank them first, that way they knew he was a humble neko._

_"Thank you for deciding to take me in."_

_He inwardly smiled when he saw both men flinch. He gathered that they didn't realize he could talk since he didn't say anything earlier._

_"...It's fine." The driver said back. Haru raised a brow when he heard the hesitation in the man's voice, like he wasn't sure if he was suppose to say that or not. He felt his stomach twisting, an instinct that something wasn't quite right._

_"Where are going?"_

_He frowned when the men stared at each other before looking straight ahead, not saying anything. Were they ignoring him?_

_"Where are we going?" He asked again, only this time the tone in his voice demanded an answer. He was starting to feel that getting into the truck was a bad idea...a very bad one._

_"Don't worry, we'll be home soon. Just relax." The man sitting in the passenger seat said, lightly chuckling. Haru took note that the man said that without even looking in his direction, not even through the rear view mirror. He glared at the man sitting in front of him. He was lying. About what? He wasn't sure of just yet... He turned his attention back to the window and his eyes widened in curiosity when the trees changed to a tall, brick wall. He looked out of the windshield and stared in shock at what he saw as he felt himself become excited all over again._

_"Ah, here we are."_

_Haru awed in amazement. The men's home was huge! He could bet that they had a large pool in the back yard. His tail swayed back and forth when the truck pulled up to the elaborate iron gate, Haruka read the sign next to the gate on the brick wall and his eyes widened in horror, the excitement he felt draining out of him completely. These men weren't keeping him at all. He overheard stray nekos talking about this place, the place of no return: Matsuoka Mansion._

* * *

He sighed, not wanting to remember the rest of that night yet. Haru's ears twitched in annoyance as he was brought of his memories when he heard someone knocking on the door. Knowing it was one of Rin's lackeys, he made no movement to get out of the tub. He wasn't surprised when he heard the rattling of keys and the doorknob turning. The door opened and he saw that it was Nitori, one of the caretakers at the Matsuoka Manor. Haru looked at him before sinking back into the tub. The gray-haired boy knew better than to try to force him to get out. He was pretty sure that he was still tending to that scratch he gave him on his arm last week. 

"H-Haruka please get out of the tub! You made your client angry!" Nitori said as he inched closer to the tub. He flicked his hair out of his face before responding. 

"No." 

"L-Look, I don't want to cause any trouble! I know how much you like the water, but-" 

When Nitori was close enough, Haruka used his tail to splash water all over Nitori, inwardly smirking when the gray-haired teen starting coughing. 

"Then leave." 

Nitori sighed and used the towel he was holding to wipe his face off. 

“Please get out of the tub Haru. He’s going to get mad…” 

Haru snorted. His captor could get mad and threaten to punish him, it still wouldn’t make him get out. 

“I don’t care.” 

“Haru…” 

“Is there a problem, Nitori?” 

Haru’s ears flattened as he turned his attention from Nitori to the smug, red-haired bastard that defiled him leaning against the bathroom door. He let out a warning hiss as red eyes looked him over, filled with amusement and traces of lust. He looked like he was ready to devour him. It was then that he remembered that he didn't grab his jammers when he left the Playroom. This wasn't going to end in his favor...not with him it won't.

* * *

 

22 year old Matsuoka Rin had it all. He had the money, the fame, the respect, and a beautiful neko that was wanted by all that no one could touch. He had everything he could want, yet it still wasn't enough. None of it excited him anymore as of late. His neko was his usual source of entertainment, but he was in Tokyo for the past three months with his little sister, keeping her company while she furthered her studies in college. His boredom was broken a week after his neko left when two of his clients brought him a gift: a slender, short black-haired, blue eyed neko they caught wandering around in their sports store. At first, he was going to tell them to take him back, but when he scratched his hand when he reached out to touch him, he changed his mind. Those ocean blue eyes of his, narrowed with rage...he wanted to own, to make them submit to his every command, just like he did on the first night they met. 

"Matsuoka, I want my money back! That stupid neko of yours wasn't worth it!" 

He looked at Haru and grinned before turning around to respond to his pissed off client standing in the hallway with a nervous Seijuro behind him. He could tell by his demeanor that he tried to calm down the irate client, but he wasn't successful. No matter, he'll deal with him just like did the others that complained about his new pet. Just because he was young and looked good in his black suit and red buttoned down shirt with his hair pulled back in a ponytail didn't mean he was a pushover that didn't know how to run his business. 

"I find that hard to believe since he is one of my best sellers." 

"Well I asked him to meow and he didn't! That's blatant disrespect!" 

Rin cut his eyes at his client. This one was a piece of work and was slowly starting to piss him off. 

"Really? That's your problem with my neko?" 

"Yes! It took me forever to come because he wouldn't do it!" 

Rin smirked. He found his loophole. 

"Sorry, but I don't give refunds over a pet not meowing. As far as I'm concerned, you got your money's worth since you came. _But_ , since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you another pet to play with, on the house." 

He raised a brow in confusion when he saw how excited his client became at his offer. Normally his clients liked it when they received a free session, but not like this. He wouldn't be surprised if the client started drooling because he was so excited. 

"C-Can it be that neko that's usually with you? H-He's so gorgeous that I can't help but wonder what his mouth feels like when he's purring on my-" 

Rin cut his client off with a fierce glare before punching him in the gut, enjoying the choking sounds the man now lying on the floor made. Everyone knew that _he_ was off limits. The neko he was referring to solely belonged to him and was more than just a neko to him. To suggest playing with him for free was a _huge_ insult to him and the Matsuoka name, and he didn't take being insulted very well. 

"I take back my offer you piece of shit. No one fucking touches _my_ neko. Mikoshiba, get this fucker off of my property. And if he tries to come back, kill him." 

Seijuro grinned before picking the man off of the hallway floor and helping him down the stairs. Rin let out a sigh before turning his attention back to his lovely pet. As he walked towards the neko, he noticed that the claws he retracted earlier before the interruption were back out again. He smiled at the empty threat as he reached the tub and kneeled down to be at eye level with his pet. 

"That's the 17th client that I had to throw out because of you. Luckily for you, I haven't had to give a refund. Personally, I don't give two shits if you don't meow for any of my clients. That doesn't phase me whatsoever. Why? Well it's simple, really." 

Rin smirked as he leaned in and kissed the angry neko, loving how he made every inch of fur on him bristle in pent-up frustration and anger. He pulled away and grinned in delight when saw Haru's beautiful blue jewels glistening with hatred towards him as he gently ran his finger over Haru's cheek. He continued downwards until his finger touched the leather collar with the dolphin charm attached to it. He needed that hatred to build up, that way when Haru's hatred caused him to _finally_ make a mistake, he will enjoy every second of delivering his punishment to his delicate body. After all, good things come to those who wait. He looped his finger through the collar and tugged the neko closer to him, leaving barely an inch of space between them. 

"I know you _will_ meow for me. Won't you, _Haruka_?" He whispered as his fingers toyed with the dolphin charm hanging on the collar. Haru turned his head away from him in clear refusal to answer. Rin chuckled as he grabbed Haruka's chin and turned his head back towards him. He wanted to see the struggle in those blue eyes and he became giddy on the inside when he saw it. The beautiful blue they once were turned dark and murky. 

"Well then, let's hear it. Meow, Haru, since you forgot that it's rude not to answer when I ask you a question." 

"..." 

"What was that? I can't hear you. Is a mouse stuck in your throat? Maybe I should get it out for you..."

 Rin grinned in triumph when the neko let a low meow, full of submission. He could tell how much it wounded the neko's pride to let that sound slip out of his mouth by how Haru started to shiver, which was perfectly fine for him. The faster the neko learned who controlled who, the faster he could make him _his_. He nibbled on the raven's ear before whispering into it. 

"Good kitty."

 He chuckled at the neko's growl and quickly moved his face away when Haru tried to swipe his face with his claws. He ignored Haru's high pitched hissing and stood up, fixing his suit before turning his attention back to Nitori.

 "Get Haru to bed, would you? I don't need him getting sick because of his weird obsession with water." Rin said as he patted the neko on his head. He laughed when Haru's claws missed him again.

 "Yes Rin-sama!" Nitori said with a small smile. Rin glanced back at Haru before walking out of the bathroom. When he closed the bathroom door, a pang of guilt hit him in his chest. He'd forgotten that his neko comes back tomorrow...and he wasn't going to be happy when he found out about Haruka. He made him break a very important promise to his special neko...or was it his own selfishness that made him do it? He let out a sigh as he pushed his bedroom door opened. He stared at the empty pet bed in the corner as his guilt continued to grow when he closed his eyes saw his neko's breath-taking smile, full of happiness. Hopefully, he will understand...


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Haru awoke in a highly irritated state. He replayed last night's events in his mind and he felt ashamed of himself. 

 _"Good kitty."_  

Haru's paws clenched his pillow. He felt like clawing something to shreds. He meowed for Rin, like he was his pet and the redhead rewarded him with insults that went straight to his pride, just like he did when they first met. 

_"You like that don't you little kitty? Who's going to be a good kitty for me from now on?"_

_Haru turned away from the man in front of him, ears pressed flat against his hair, trying not to let how good the feather faintly brushing against his nipples show, but he couldn't control the small moan that escaped past his lips. He never felt a sensation like it before and he loathed that he had to feel it with the red-haired man the store owners gave him to. A faint groan left his mouth when the back of the man's hand struck his cheek for the fifth time tonight. He knew he was going to have a large bruise on his face soon. His eyes started to become blurry with tears when he heard snickering coming from the two men who drove him to this place sitting on the sofa, watching the man violate him and do nothing about it._

_'They're being entertained.' His mind provided._

_"That was for not answering me, again. If you want my punishment to end, I suggest you talk. Otherwise..."_

_Haru mewled when Rin, he remembered the men saying, brushed the feather against his leaking erection before moving it down to his entrance, tickling it, causing him to flinch due to his heightened state of sensitivity. The feeling was becoming too much since he came four times in the past half hour and he wanted it to stop. He wished he could move, but Rin chained his neck to the basement wall, tied his arms behind his back and tied his legs to where his calves pressed against the back of his thighs with thick ropes, making them easier to spread apart. Another form of punishment as Rin liked to call it for the scratch marks running down the left side of the redhead's face. His arms and shoulders ached at the effort he put into moving them around as best as he could to try and free himself._

_"I'll shove my dick inside of you. I know it will hurt because it will be your first time, won't it?"_

_He quickly nodded his head, hoping that will suffice as an answer.  He didn't want to lose his innocence to him, not like this, not in front of the men he thought were going to take care of him. He wanted his first time to be with someone he loved, not as an act of humiliation._

_"Of course it will be. Most of the nekos I've had before were already moaning for me to fuck them by now, and I couldn't help but notice that you're trying not to make one a single sound of pleasure. My apologies, I must not be doing something right..."_

_Haru closed his eyes and inwardly sighed in relief when the feather was taken away from his opening. He thought he was going to be released, but he was mistaken when his ears twitched at the sound of something being unzipped. His eyes widened when he saw Rin grinning at him and screamed in pain at Rin entering and stretching him. He tried to force it out, but it only made the pain worse so he stopped. The pain was unbearable...and yet...it felt good, really good. It felt better than Rin's hand stroking his cock. He never felt so full before. He found himself wanting more and hated a part of himself for it. He didn't want this, not with Rin at least...or so he thought... He wasn't sure anymore since his body was having a mind of its own. His tail curled around Rin's thigh before his body relaxed and his hips shifted, getting adjusted to the redhead inside of him. Rin smirked at him before pulling out halfway and thrusting back in. Haru cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure before clenching his mouth shut. His body may have wanted it, but his mind and heart didn't, no matter how much pleasure coursed throughout his entire body when Rin hit a certain spot inside of him that made him see stars behind his eyelids. Rin leaned in close, barely leaving any space between them._

_"What's your name?" Rin grunted out._

_He turned away from him, trying to ignore the question and yelped when Rin bit his shoulder and sharply thrusted into him._

_"I said, what's your name?"_

_"Haruka!"_

_Rin chuckled as he licked the bite mark, making Haru shudder in pleasure and disgust. He moved his head back to stare into his eyes. He looked into those red eyes and found that a contract was about to form between them, one that would bind him to Rin for the rest of his life. He tried to look away the dominant stare, but another sharp thrust made him stop trying. He was too tired to continue fighting._

_"So, will you behave for me now Haruka or do we have to start all over again until we get things straight?"_

_"Y-Yes." He answered quickly, feeling a part of himself break because of his submission to the redhead. His pride was torn to shreds..._

_"You agree to being my pet and doing what I command?"_

_"Yes."_

_"You agree to allow me to fuck you whenever I feel like it or one of my clients wants to?"_

_"..Yes."_

_"And finally, do you agree not to run away or make any plans of escaping?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Good kitty... By the way, congratulations. You just became a registered neko. Don't worry, in a few minutes, you'll have your reward..."_

_"..."_

_"Aww, don't be upset! Besides, if you stick to your word and be a good little neko for me, I'll show you a sight you've never seen before..."_  

He swiped his pillow and his covers on the floor in anger. He had to get out of here before he ended up getting euthanized for killing his...owner. He seethed at word, ignoring the thought that told him the collar around his neck made the word true. Once he figured out how to get out of the mansion, he'd shred the collar and run as far away as he could. No one owned him. 

 _Speaking of own..._  

Who was the neko that the client was referring to? It was obvious that the neko was higher ranking than him in Rin's eyes since he threatened to kill the man if he ever came back, but why hasn't he seen it yet? He saw Rin almost every day and there wasn't a neko with him, it was just Nitori or Seijuro. Was the neko ill or was it so high and mighty that it didn't want to be seen at certain hours of the day? With that thought in mind, he jumped off of his bed and slowly exited his room, careful to not wake the neko that he shared a room with and headed towards the only room that would hold his answer. Rin's.

* * *

 

Pressed tightly against the walls, Haru made his way down on the hallway. He was glad that his dark fur made it hard for him to spot in dark places and made it easier for him to sneak around the mansion undetected. It also helped that he wore a black t-shirt along with his jammers. He hid behind the potted plant in the corner when Nitori rushed out of Rin's room. 

"Hurry Rin-sama! He'll be here any minute!" Nitori yelled over his shoulder as he ran towards the stairs. Haru raised a brow at that. Was he leaving or was an important client on its way? From what he gathered throughout the three months he was here, Rin only wore white suits when wealthy clients were coming or there was a special occasion he had to attend. He pressed himself firmly against the wall when Rin ran out of his room after Nitori, leaving the bedroom door open. He waited a few moments to see if a neko would shut the door or run out to follow Rin. When nothing happened, he deemed it safe enough to enter the bedroom for him to investigate. 

He quietly walked into the room and used his tail to close the door behind him. He wasn't surprised to find Rin's room to be lavished. A king sized bed with a canopy, oak wood dresser and bookcase, a television, plush carpet, tall windows, and a walk-in closet filled with clothes. 

 _A room fit for a king..._ Haru said to himself in mockery. His eyes caught a glint of something shiny and he turned towards the cabinet next to the closet. He walked closer to it and frowned. The cabinet was full of trophies, medals, and pictures of the redhead winning what appeared to be swimming competitions. He figured Rin had to be a great swimmer since all of the medals were gold and the trophies first said 1st Place. His eyes widened when he saw four medals with a symbol he knew of. 

 _He's...an Olympian?_ He felt bitterness wash over him before shaking it off. There was no need for him to dwell on what he could never do because of what he was. Nekos were not allowed to participate in any human sport because humans feared that they would accidentally snap and attack their human teammates. Besides, he didn't see the point in competitive swimming anyway. Swimming was all about being one with the water in his eyes. 

He walked back towards the bed and jumped onto the ottoman at the foot of the bed to check the large bed for any sign of the mysterious neko. He wasn't surprised to find the bed had a red, black, and white theme, but he was surprised that there wasn't a scent of a neko on it, not a trace from where he was sitting. He carefully climbed onto the bed, making sure his claws didn't snag a thread on the red duvet. He sniffed each pillow and still didn't find a scent different from Rin's. He jumped off of the bed and checked underneath it, still nothing. Haru frowned. 

 _This doesn't make any sense._  

He crawled out from under the bed and his eyes widened in surprise at what he found in the corner of the room. A green plush, raised pet bed with big black pillows and a black and green striped blanket folded in the center of it. There was also a large, stuffed black and white whale sitting on top of the blanket. From how worn out it looked along with the repaired seam lines, it had to be at least 10 years old. He walked over and jumped on the bed. The bed and pillows formed around him and he felt his jealousy flare at how soft and comfortable it was compared to his own. The size of the bed dwarfed his! He sniffed the pet bed and snorted. The bed faintly smelled like a neko, like it hadn't slept here in a long time, which was irritating him even more. He sniffed the stuffed whale and frowned when it had the same scent as the bed. Clearly there was a neko that stayed with Rin so where was it?

Other than this corner, that was the only proof of this neko's existence. He couldn't even find a picture of it. A thought ran through his head but he deemed it false. It couldn't have died because Rin appeared to be happy when he left earlier. From what he gathered from the neko having its own corner in Rin's room and not having to share a room with another neko, the expensive bed with matching accessories, the old stuffed whale that should've been thrown out a long time ago but wasn't, and the redhead's mannerisms last night, Rin loved this neko. He would be devastated if it died. 

His ears twitched when he heard a noise coming from outside. He jumped off the pet bed and ran over to the bay window. He jumped on the bench and saw that the noise he heard was the sound of the gate opening a few meters away. He narrowed his eyes to see an unfamiliar black car was sitting at the entrance. He also saw Rin, Nitori, and Mikoshiba standing in the middle of the front lawn. He turned his attention back to the car and continued staring at the car in wonder of who was inside of it, not noticing the bedroom door slowly opening. 

"Haru!" 

Haru frowned at the loud whisper of his name that came from his amusing, yet highly annoying roommate, Rei. He glanced over his shoulder at the frowning blue-haired neko sticking his head through the crack of the door before turning his attention back to what was happening outside, clearly stating he didn't feel like being bothered. Rei was a bizarre neko in Haru's eyes. He never heard of a neko needing to wear glasses, since their kind was born with perfect vision. He also never heard of a neko that disliked mackerel, disliked napping in the sun, had allergies, and liked spending most of his free time reading and watching butterflies. To top it all off, Rei idolized everything he found to be beautiful and took things way too seriously for his own good. Haru shrugged it all off though since he didn't really mind...much. 

"You shouldn't be in here, especially without having permission! We could get punished if someone finds us!" 

"Everyone's outside though, including Rin." 

"But they all can come back in at any second so get down from there! My theories have shown there's a 2 out of 9 chances that-" 

"I want to see what they are waiting for." 

"Haruka!" 

He rolled his eyes. As much as he wanted to see what the big deal was about the black car parked outside of the gate, he didn't want Rei to have another panic attack like the last time he didn't feel like complying with the rules. It was too much effort to get him to calm down and he didn't want to waste energy doing so again. He was about to jump down from the windowsill when his ears twitched at an unfamiliar sound. A distinct bark that he hadn't heard before rang through his ears...a bark that was filled with happiness. He turned back towards the window to locate the sound and his eyes widened at what he saw jump out of the car. A neko that could bark? 

 _How bizarre..._  

"Rei." 

"What is it Haru?" 

"Who is that?" Haru asked as he pointed at something. Rei let out a sigh before slipping into the room and shutting the door behind him. He walked across the carpet before jumping onto the bench of the bay window to see what the black-haired neko was talking about. He placed his butterfly charm back in the center of his collar and looked out of the window. He found what Haru was pointing at and blushed while he adjusted his glasses. His favorite neko was back. 

"Ah, that's Makoto-sama. He-He's really beautiful..." 

Haru couldn't say he agreed or disagreed because he needed to see what this Makoto looked like in person. He figured he had to be very handsome since Rei's face was now a dark shade of red. All he could make out at the moment was a tail that had long golden brown fur on it because the neko was running so fast across the lawn, headed straight for Rin, who was now running towards the neko. 

"Why haven't I seen him around before?" Haru asked. 

"He was sent to Gou, Rin's younger sister who studies in Tokyo, to spend time with her in the spring. He does that every year." 

Haru frowned at that. The rule said no pet was allowed to leave, so what made Makoto so special enough to be able to get away with not complying with that? Unless... Rei saw the look on Haru's face and furrowed his brows. 

"You don't understand, do you?" 

Haru turned to glare at Rei before turning back to the neko running around the red-haired male that he despised. Rei got the message. He cleared his throat as he began to explain. 

"Rin and Gou own Makoto." 

Haru snorted. 

"Don't they own us too?" 

"Well, yes, but it's not the same kind of ownership I was referring to. Makoto is the Matsuoka family pet. He was born here and has been by Rin-chan-san's side ever since. No one, not even a neko, is allowed to touch Mako in a sexual way without Rin's permission. To be honest, I don't think Rin touches him like that either." 

Haru's eyes widened at the information he just heard. It made sense now. This was the neko he was searching for. He continued to watch the neko and gasped in disbelief when he saw Makoto tackle the redhead and hearing Rin laugh like he didn't have a care in the world. He felt a twinge of disgust and jealousy run through him at the sight before him. Disgust at the display of affection the neko was giving to his captor and jealousy at the neko's list of freedoms he was likely to have. 

"Does he know what his owners are doing to his own kind or do they keep him pampered and sheltered away from it and he thinks everything in this place is nothing but sunshine?" Haru asked, not caring that his question was filled with bitterness and jealousy. Rei narrowed his eyes at the neko next to him. He didn't take too kindly to others passing off their judgment of the neko to him, especially when he knew Mako better than they did. 

"You mean owner. Gou has no idea what goes on here from what Makoto told me, and yes, Makoto knows. Just because he may seem to happy on the outside, it doesn't always reflect how he's feeling. Making comments like that without knowing him is not beautiful, not at all." Rei said in a tone that left no room for rebuttal before jumping off of the bench and exiting Rin's bedroom as Haru watched the blue-haired neko leave. Rei must be very good friends with the neko by how quickly he defended him. Though he was taken aback by the sudden coldness of Rei's words, he supposed the neko had a valid point. He'll make his opinion of Makoto when he meets him face to face. Haru jumped off the ledge, stretched his limbs, and exited the bedroom, making sure to leave the door open in the position that Rin left it in. He thought about following Rei to the kitchen to eat dinner, but decided against it. He didn't want to be around the other nekos since they liked to make fun of him when they thought he couldn't hear them and mackerel wasn't on the menu. The bathtub was a better decision anyway...

* * *

 

17 year old Makoto was happy to be home. Though he loved to visit Kou and explore Tokyo with her, he loved being around Rin more...except when he conducted business. He let out a soft sigh when the chauffeur opened the door to let him out. He thanked the man before letting out a happy bark and jumping out of the car, racing towards his owner who he saw waiting outside for him along with his favorite helpers. He didn't miss the weird look the chauffeur gave him. He was used to the weird looks that humans gave him ever since he was young. According to Rin, he was an extremely rare type of neko, a crossbreed between a wolf and a neko. Rin liked to call him a woko every now and again, which made him laugh every time he heard it. Though it wasn't unheard of for dogs to mate with nekos, but for a wolf to mate with one was definitely a shock. 

His wolf blood made him taller, muscular, faster, stronger, and his senses sharper than the average neko. Though he barked and growled instead of meowing and hissing, he could purr, which Rin found to be very amusing when he rubbed his ears or stroked his back. Like with any crossbreed, he had a few minor problems that he still needed to work on. He was clumsy and tended to break a lot of things because of his size, after long runs, he tired faster than the average dog or neko, and he had trouble seeing things from a distance. He was thankful that Rin bought him contacts to wear that way he wouldn't need to wear glasses all day like Rei needed to. His biggest problem, and Rin's greatest concern, was when he got angry or very scared, he tended to blackout. Rin never told him what he does when he blacks out, but he knew he didn't go to sleep like he felt he did... Yet, even with all of his problems that made him more difficult and expensive to take care of than a regular neko or a pureblood, Rin still kept him by side and he was forever grateful for that. 

"Makoto!" 

He smiled when he saw his owner running towards him and couldn't help himself when he got closer to him and tackled him. He wagged his tail as he licked Rin's face, joy spreading through his body as he heard Rin's laughter. It's been a long time since he heard it. He nuzzled his face into Rin's shoulder when he sat up, making him slide down into his lap, and hugged him. When he opened his mouth to ask his friend a question, Rin gently pressed his lips against his and he couldn't help but blush as he kissed him back. He didn't know why he did so since he and Rin have been this affectionate with each other since they were young. Though the kisses never extended to anything more, and didn't understand why they haven't, he was okay with that. When they pulled away from each other, he placed his paw on Rin's shoulder and their eyes widened in horror when he heard the sound of something being ripped. They looked down and saw that Makoto's claws went right through the white fabric of Rin's suit jacket. 

"Damn your claws got sharp again that fast? I coulda sworn Gou said she cut them for you two weeks ago." Rin said as he lifted his right paw to examine his nails. 

"She did, but you know how fast they grow back..." Makoto said with a sigh. 

"Eh?! Why are you wearing your white suit anyway? It's for special occasions only!" 

"You coming back to me is a huge special occasion." Rin said as he nuzzled neck before placing a kiss where his neck and shoulder met. Makoto smiled. Though he didn't understand why Rin always thought every time he left for Tokyo that he wasn't coming back, he was still flattered that he considered his return a special occasion. 

"Huge enough for you to close the mansion for one night?" 

"Heh, nice try." 

Makoto chuckled. He couldn't help but try to give the nekos he lived with a break. He purred when Rin began to stroke his back. 

"What have you been up to while I was gone? You look a lot more relaxed since I left." He asked in curiosity. Normally, Rin was always stressed out about something. He tried numerous ways to get his best friend to relax and it worked only for a little while before it came back. Rin thought he didn't see that look in his eyes and feel his body tensing, but he did. He was nervous about answering him, which he found to be a little odd. Rin never got nervous about anything, not even when he was in the Olympics. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but Aiichiro called his name as he ran up to them. He smiled as he inwardly noted the relief expression on Rin's face, and jumped off of Rin's lap to run and greet his favorite butler. When he got close enough, he placed his paws on Nitori's shoulders. Makoto noticed Aiichiro's wince and jumped off of him immediately. 

"Are you okay, did I hurt you?" 

"Of course not! I-I got scratched by one of the nekos while you were gone, but don't worry! I'll be okay!" Aiichiro said and smiled as he rubbed his ear. Makoto decided not to question Nitori further about it since he told him that he was okay, but he still found it odd that one of Rin's nekos attacked Nitori. He thought everyone liked Nitori and didn't have a problem with him since he was cheerful and gave them extra food and clothing when he wasn't supposed to. 

 _Maybe I was wrong..._  

"Come on, it's time to eat. I had the chef make your favorite." Rin said as he stood up and brushed the grass and dirt off of his pants. He wagged his tail in excitement of having green curry for dinner and ran into his home to patiently wait for it at the dining room table. He entered the mansion and smiled as he walked into the foyer, marveling at the sheer size of it. Rin’s father put in a lot of work to make it look so grand. It always looked bigger when he came back from Kou’s apartment and he was pretty sure that the split staircase had a big part to play in it, too. 

He walked down the hallway to the kitchen to get to the dining room, saying hi to the maids and chefs on his way. As he was about to walk through the dining room door, he stopped when he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He raised a brow in confusion when he saw that there were thirteen food and water dishes instead of twelve. He recounted two more times and frowned when he still got thirteen. Why was there an extra set? The thought of Rin getting a new neko entered his head, but he immediately dismissed it. He knew Rin well enough to know he would _never_ do that. It would mean breaking his promise to him if he did. 

_Maybe one of the maids did it because they thought I was eating in the kitchen today instead of with Rin._

* * *

 

Makoto didn't know why, but he felt like Rin was trying to avoid talking to him during dinner service. Every time he went to ask him a question, he would ask him a question about Kou and her studies or his stay in Tokyo or ignore him completely and ask Aiichiro questions that had to deal with the mansion upkeep. Though he was becoming irritated at being blatantly ignored and having to repeat himself, he would answer his questions about her without letting his irritation show since he hadn’t seen her in quite some time. This game of Rin’s continued for the next hour as the chefs brought out their starter, first, and second course dishes. Even though Rin was sitting to his left at the head of the table, Makoto felt a large distance growing between them and he couldn’t understand why. What happened while he was gone that would cause it and why wasn’t he telling him? They never had any secrets between them before, and Makoto was determined to keep it that way. When the third course came out, he decided he would hold out on eating his curry until Rin finally answered him. He waited for Rin to put a piece of his kimchi into his mouth before asking.

"What have you been up to while I was gone?" 

He inwardly became confused and curious when Aiichiro and Rin winced, like he asked a question that he wasn't suppose to. He already knew about their nighttime activities with one another that sometimes included Seijuro for the past two years. He even walked in on them a few times and he laughed every time when Rin yelled for him to get out with his face redder than the hair on top of his head. They shouldn't have anything to be ashamed about if that was the problem. It could’ve been because of the assertiveness in his tone, too… 

"N-Nothing out of the ordinary! Just business as usual!" Rin said with a goofy grin on his face. Makoto frowned at Rin's sheepishness. He could tell that Rin was trying to throw him off, but he wasn't fooled. When he acted like this, it usually meant he wanted to tell him something that he wasn't going to like. Though he appreciated Rin trying to spare his feelings, he didn't like him blatantly lying to his face. Whatever it was, he could surely handle it. It probably wasn't that big of a deal anyway. 

"You can tell me, Rin. It's okay." He tried again with a cheerful smile on his face this time, hoping that would be enough to convince his best friend to tell him what was wrong. He watched Rin turn away from him to look down at his hands before looking back up at him again. When Rin opened his mouth to speak, a loud bang echoed through the dining room. Makoto realized it was the dining room door that was slammed up against the wall and his eyes widened when an angry, and scratched up Seijuro walk through it. He disappeared from the table after a maid whispered into his ear after the first course came out from the kitchen. By the look on his face and the condition of it, he got into a fight with one of the nekos and was very angry about it. He narrowed his eyes in concern at the thought of another neko attacking the butlers. What was going on around here? 

"Matsuoka that new neko of yours is really starting to piss me off! Do you see what he did to my fucking face! All for what? Me trying to tell him to come and eat?! It's bullshit!" 

Makoto's face fell at what he heard. Rin got a new pet while he was gone? It definitely would explain why he looked guilty and nervous ever since he arrived, the scratch on Nitori's arm, and the extra dishes. He turned to look at Rin to see if it was true and felt disappointment wash over him when Rin looked away from him, confirming Seijuro's words. 

"Mako, I'm-" 

"It's okay, I understand. It can’t be helped, right?" Makoto stated as his ears flattened. He didn't wait for his owner's response before jumping off of his chair and walking past Seijuro through the open door, missing the short-haired teen's confused face. He no longer had an appetite.

* * *

 

Rin watched Makoto leave, feeling more guilty and ashamed of himself than he did yesterday. He knew he had to tell his neko eventually, but not by him finding out from someone else first. He didn't even get the chance to explain, but it wouldn't have mattered. He broke his promise to Makoto. Though his green-eyed neko may still hurt on the inside, he'll forgive him for it later and give him that fake smile that hid his real feelings because that's just the kind of neko Makoto was. He smiled to keep everyone, including him, from worrying about him and though it pissed him off to no end, he didn't have the strength to call him out on it because it would come out harsher than he would mean to. He didn't want to see those green orbs he loved filled with hurt directed at him...again. 

"Shit, I ruined it didn't I? Sorry man..." Seijuro said as he rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure what to do at the moment. "You want me to go after him?" 

"No, it's fine. I'll talk to him later." Rin said as he picked at his dinner with his chopsticks, ignoring the worried looks Seijuro and Nitori sent him. Even though he wanted to throw a plate at the red-haired butler, he knew he wasn't at fault. It was all him. They'll talk after he closed the mansion for the night. He found himself dreading to have that conversation because if Makoto asked for him to let Haru go, which he had a feeling he would, he wasn't entirely sure if he'd say yes. Haru may have been a regular neko, but there was something unique about him, besides his weird fixation with water. He kind of reminded him of Makoto in a way... 

He growled as he tightened his grip on his chopsticks. It wasn't his fault, not at all. It was Haru's, for being so damn alluring and tempting when he submitted to him. He felt himself getting hard at the thought of those blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears as he thrusted into that tight hole of his. He wasn't ready to let that gorgeous neko go, but if keeping Haru caused a riff between him and his Mako that wouldn't mend over time, he'd do it...after he had another go at the raven-haired neko.

* * *

 

As he walked down the hall to the foyer, he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. Makoto wasn't stupid or as oblivious as others, mainly the neko playmates, thought he was. He'd known since was young what the MatsuokaMansion was really known for besides being the largest estate in Iwatobi. It made him sick to his stomach that Rin's family, Rin's father to be precise, made money off of selling nekos for sex, that countless nekos were taken care of, but never free. He begged Rin when he took over the business after his father passed away to stop and let the nekos go, but Rin refused. The money the mansion made was used to keep the Matsuokas afloat and since his mother and Kou didn't know what his father really did for a living under the disguise as a fisherman, it was going to be hard to explain. He also added that if he were to release them, they would end up dead because of other humans and no laws protecting unregistered nekos.

Makoto accepted that, but it didn't make the pain in his heart ache any less, especially when he had to lie to Kou when she asked about Rin and what he was up to because he was no longer involved with the Olympics. Since Rin couldn't make the promise to stop the family business, he promised that wouldn't take in another pet for his clients to play with after he took in Nagisa. His best friend never broke a single promise he made to him, until now. 

When he reached the foyer, he walked underneath the split staircase towards one of his favorite rooms in the mansion. He stopped in front of the door and pushed it open, smiling as he stared at all of the books that lined the walls. Rin's study always left him amazed at how many books his owner's father collected and how many Rin added to it. He remembered he and Rin used to sneak out of their room and to the study so Rin could read to him every night before they went to bed when they were younger. He chuckled when he remembered how his best friend used to yell at the maids when they interrupted him and how they fell asleep on the rug by the fireplace, snuggled close to one another with the unfinished book lying in between them. He jumped onto the chase lounge and sighed. He missed the days when they were younger, when Rin was innocent and knew nothing about his father's business and how he...punished bad nekos. He shook off the shiver that ran down his spine at the thought of punishment and laid his head on the armrest. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:15. He closed his eyes to take a quick nap before Playtime started at 8.

* * *

 

Rei frowned when he didn't find Haru with all of the other nekos eating their dinner in the kitchen, again. Though he understood why he didn't want to eat with the rest of the nekos because it was 'too noisy' or 'too much effort' he was certain that Seijuro or Nitori were going to force him to do so and if that didn't work, Rin would step in. He cringed before taking another bite of his squid. Haruka was going to become a troublesome neko and that wasn't beautiful. He was hoping to find Makoto eating amongst them today so that he could ask him what he should do about his odd roommate, but when he looked around, he didn't spot the beautiful brunette neko. 

"Rei-chan!" 

He mentally cursed when he was spotted by the neko he secretly despised. He always stole his glasses and his food and it pissed him off to no end, especially since no one tried to help him get them back, except for Makoto. He saw the neko running towards him and he tried to run away from him, but his effort was futile since the blond neko tackled him to the tiled floor. He let out a hiss when he felt the neko sitting on his back. 

"Get off of me, Nagisa! Tackling is not beautiful!" 

"You say that all the time, but I know you like it when I tackle you. Besides, you didn't mind last night." 

"Lies!" Rei yelled in embarrassment when all of the nekos in the kitchen started snickering at Nagisa's suggestive statements. It was bad enough that everyone assumed they were a couple by how they argued with each other, so much so even Makoto said he thought they were at one point. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Nagisa poked his cheek with his bushy tail. 

"What!" 

“I wanna play!” Nagisa whined, only to receive a snort from Rei. He did not ‘play’. 

“Go find someone else to fool around with! I have more important matters to attend to.” 

He hissed when the blond neko poked him his cheek again with his tail. 

"Ne, Rei-chan you shouldn't be so serious all the time. Besides, who am I gonna play with until Mako-chan gets back?" 

"He's already back! I saw him in the front yard earlier." 

When Nagisa gasped in joy, he used that free moment to slip out from under the neko. When he stood up, he fixed his glasses and turned to give Nagisa a good tongue-lashing for being rude, he noticed that the blond disappeared, more than likely to go find Makoto's whereabouts. He inwardly cursed himself for blurting out that Makoto returned. _He_ wanted to be the one to welcome Makoto back first and have him to himself before work started. He frowned as he returned to his food dish to finish his squid grumpily.

* * *

 

Makoto's ear twitched when he heard the door to the study creaking. He ignored it and let out a yawn before snuggling further into the couch to get a few more minutes of sleep. His plan was ruined when he felt someone pounce on him. He opened his eyes and turned his head to see who it was that jumped on him, only to be met with a pink tongue instead of a face. The tongue vigorously licked his face and Makoto laughed. Nagisa, the hyperactive 17 year old blond neko, was the only one who would do this to him after he went to Tokyo as a way of expressing how much he missed him. Not that he minded anyway. He missed the blond neko too. 

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be eating with everyone else!" 

"I was until Rei-chan told me that he saw you running in the lawn earlier so I had to sneak out of there to find you! I missed you too much to wait until tomorrow to see you!" 

Makoto smiled, choosing not to comment on the part where Rei was watching him. The blue haired neko usually searched for butterflies out of the living room window so that was usual news for him. 

"Hey, did you hear? There's a new neko running around here and from what I've heard, he's become the top seller and he's only been here for three months! I'm jealous, Mako-chan!" 

Makoto chuckled at Nagisa's pouting, inwardly feeling bad for the new neko that wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. It was kind of a surprise, and a little odd, that the new neko outranked Nagisa _and_ Rei in such a short time span though. Maybe Nagisa was mistaken... 

"He's a new neko. Probably all of the clients are curious about him. It can't be helped, I guess." 

"I'm curious about him too! I wonder what he looks like... He's been here for that long and only three nekos have seen a glimpse of him!" 

An elusive neko in Rin's mansion? He found it a little hard to believe. For starters, every neko that worked for Rin had a roommate and all of the neko rooms were located in the East Wing. Unless he stayed inside the room all day, which wasn't possible since Rin forced every neko to be out of their room at certain times of the day, more than three nekos should have seen him by now. Nagisa pulled him out of his thoughts when he rested his paws on top of his head. 

"Hey! How about we go find him! We can’t use my nose since it’s not good at tracking scents, but with your nose, we should be able to sniff him out in no time!" 

"Well..." Makoto looked at the clock hanging up on the wall and decided against it. The mansion was huge and it normally took him about an hour or so to explore it from top to bottom and it was 7:45. Makoto sighed. It did sound like fun... 

"We don't have time. You and everyone else are supposed to be in their room right now since the first wave of clients is going to arrive in fifteen minutes. Plus, I haven't gotten dressed yet. Maybe tomorrow we can search for him." Makoto said before jumping off of the chase lounge with Nagisa still on his back. He stretched his legs as Nagisa jumped off of him. They exited the study and walked towards the stairs that led to the East Wing and West Wing. As he climbed the steps to the West Wing, he heard an extra clinking of tags on the stairs and turned around to see Nagisa was following him. 

"Why are you following me? You could get in trouble if Rin sees you." Makoto chided. Nekos weren’t allowed anywhere near the West Wing without Rin’s permission. Nagisa's ears flattened and Makoto instantly felt bad. He didn't like to see Nagisa getting upset. 

"Aww but I still wanna hang out with Mako-chan! Rei-chan gets to see you more than I do and it's not fair!" 

Makoto felt even worse because it was true. He and Rei got to see each other more often because of Rei found him first and since he knew that the blue-haired neko wasn't on friendly terms with Nagisa and liked to keep him to himself, he ended up spending more time around Rei than he did with Nagisa. He looked into the teary, big magenta eyes and sighed in defeat. Besides, if Rin found Nagisa with him, he’d just say that Nagisa was helping find one of his contacts. 

"Well, I suppose I can get dressed faster if I had some help..." 

"Yay!" Nagisa cheered as he ran up the stairs past Makoto, who chuckled before following after him. When he reached the top step, he walked down the hallway and turned the corner to get to his and Rin's bedroom. When he saw Nagisa sniffing the doorway, he became confused. 

"What's wrong Nagisa?" Makoto asked. 

"I caught a scent of a neko, two of them actually." Nagisa said as he continued to sniff the ground. Makoto chuckled before shaking his head at the silly information. 

"No nekos are allowed to enter Rin's room without permission, Nagisa. You know that." He chided softly. Nagisa turned around and shot him a glare, making him flinch. 

"Oh yeah? Then sniff for yourself!"

He let out a sigh before walking over to his friend and sniffed the air. His ears and tail stood up in alert when he picked up two scents that didn't belong to him, Rin, or any other human he knew. In fact, one scent he knew very well... 

 _What was Rei doing in here?_ He said to himself as he furrowed his brows and entered his room, sniffing out the trails. Rei knew the rules of the house better than he did so it was unlikely he enter the room on his own just because. He figured Rei chased out whoever was in here by how Rei's scent went straight to the bay window while the other scent was everywhere. Even in his bed and on his favorite stuffed squeaky orca plushie! It was like this neko was searching for something, or... His ears flatten at that thought. Rin wouldn't replace him, would he? 

"What's wrong Mako-chan?" Nagisa asked in concern as he ran up to him. 

"Well, you're right. There was definitely two nekos in here at one point. I know for sure that one of the scents in the room is Rei's, but the other one, I don't know who that is..." 

“Rei-chan was here!” Nagisa exclaimed and Makoto nodded his head in confirmation.  Makoto was feeling a little exhausted with all of these new discoveries, but he supposed he was getting what he asked for when he said he wanted to know what happened while he was gone. He was brought out of his thoughts when Nagisa gasped. 

"It has to be the new neko since you don't recognize the scent!" 

His eyes widened at that. It had to be true since none of the nekos smelled like water, mackerel, and, very faintly, salt.

 _Then what was he doing in here?_  

He narrowed his eyes. Feeling the need to find out why a neko invaded his space wouldn’t wait until tomorrow. He deeply inhaled the scent of the new neko before running out of the room, following the scent towards the East Wing. He heard Nagisa faintly calling for him to wait in the back of his mind, but his natural tracking and hunting senses were in place and they prevented him from any form of intrusion until he found what he was looking for. When he reached the hallway that held all of the bedrooms that belonged to the nekos, his nose was assaulted with too many scents that it made his eyes tear up. He closed them to allow his nose to focus on the smell of mackerel, salt, and water. When he found it, he followed it, keeping his eyes closed to focus more. He followed the scent to what he figured had to be the bathroom by how the carpet floor changed to cool tiles underneath his feet. He continued to follow the scent, knowing he was getting closer when the scent grew stronger. When it was at its strongest, he leaned in and snorted, signaling to himself that his tracking was complete. He quickly moved back a bit when he felt something twitch against his nose. 

 _What was that?_  

Whatever it was had fur since it was touching his nose. He was about to open his eyes to observe what it was that he found when a thought ran through his head. It might be a rat or a mouse he smelled instead of a neko. He felt chills run down his back immediately at the thought of a rat touching his nose. He didn’t like rats or mice. They were scary-looking, even though they were smaller than him. He waited a moment for a squeak from the rodents and frowned when he didn’t hear anything. Maybe he was mistaken, but he wasn’t ready to open his eyes just yet in case if a rat was staring back at him with its red pebbled eyes. He sighed to himself. He had only one option left. As he clenched his eyes shut, he leaned in for another sniff…

* * *

 

He was enjoying his solitude under the water until left ear twitched when he felt air blowing into it. He ignored it, figuring it was the cold air from the air conditioner since it was hot outside. When air blew harder into his ear and made both of his ears twitch, he realized that he was mistaken. It was a neko, apparently sniffing him instead of asking him nicely to get out of the tub. He narrowed his eyes in irritation as he slowly lifted his tail out of the water to deliver a good swat to the neko's nose for its rude behavior. He aimed in the direction that the air was coming from and heavily swung his tail, smirking when he heard a yelp filled with pain. Haru lifted his head out of the water to glare at the interloper between him and the water, but instead of glaring like he intended to, his eyes widened when green eyes he’d never seen before met his. He slowly lifted his head out of the water, not breaking eye contact with this newfound stranger. He found it odd that all of his anger and irritation towards this neko vanished when he softly smiled at him. 

“I’m so happy that you’re not a rat.” 

Haru raised a brow in confusion at the brunette neko, not quite sure as to what he meant. He felt part of his irritation return when the neko started laughing, not finding any part of him being separated from the water sooner than he intended to because the idiot in front of him thought his ears were rats funny. 

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just tracking your scent since I found it in my room." The neko in front of him explained as he brought his paw up to gently rub his sore nose, which Haru felt a _tad_ bit guilty for being the cause of it. He blinked when he realized what the neko said. 

 _His room?_  

There was only one bedroom he was in earlier that wasn't his own, which meant he was staring at- 

"Mako-chan where are you? You run too fast!" 

He ignored whoever was in the hallway and continued to stare at this Mako-chan, which had to be a nickname for Makoto. 

_So this is the mysterious neko I've been waiting to meet..._

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for the Free!dom after coming off of a seven month haitus from writing. If you spot any mistakes, please let me know!


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